About Chris Powell, The Event Expert

Personal statement:

My aim is to help organisations, businesses and individuals design, plan and deliver their own outstanding events. I enjoy helping those involved in organising events to become capable and confident event managers, who feel able to deliver high quality and memorable events. I love a good event and I also have a lot of time for those wonderful people who are willing to say yes – I will organise the event. After all, those in the know will appreciate how hard it is to plan and deliver an event.

My company The Event Expert offers the following event management services:

• Event Consultancy: We’ll coach you to run your own events or provide specific help.
• Event Management Courses We’ll create bespoke courses and train you to run your own events.
• Events Speaker: We’ll write and deliver talks on the ‘how to’ of planning successful events.

Events career summary:

• Director, The Event Experts 2009 to date
• Director, Chris Powell Event Management, Training and Coaching 2003-2009
• Events Manager, Arts and Heritage, Basingstoke and Deane – 1993 to 2003
• Events management trainer, coach and associate events lecturer at University of Winchester and various event training organisations – 1999 to date

Professional qualifications:
2011 – Event Safety Management Diploma, University of Derby
2007 – The Training Foundation, Trainer Delivery Skills Certificate
1994 – BTEC Certificate in Management Studies
1994 – Institute of Sport, Parks and Leisure, Certificate in Leisure Management
1985 – BA Recreation and Leisure Management, Manchester University

Management skills and experience:

• Team leadership: leading, developing and motivating teams
• Design, creation, marketing, communications, delivery, idea evaluation
• Financial management: budgetary control, costing and procurement
• Strategy design, development and delivery
• Ability and experience of working at board through to operational level
• Have a large network of event partners and service providers

Events management experience:

• Major public, sports, arts and music festivals
• Corporate events such as conferences, seminars, exhibitions, dinners
• Voluntary, charitable, civic and community events
• International and regional events

Examples of organisations worked for:

Dior, Casio, Sue Ryder Care, PepsiCo, Teenage Cancer Trust, IFE / Abilways (Brussels), Council of Europe Strasbourg, NATO, Heineken, IGS Paris, Hemsley Fraser, GBC Learning and Development, Greenwell Conference Centre (Austria), MTV, Visit Essex, The Centre, Rugby Football Union, Enterprise M3, Skanska, Sharjah Tourism & Development Authority, The Business Show, public sector organisations (parish and town councils) and training companies delivering open programmes.  Check out my current client list

Who do I help?

Over the past 17 years I have helped clients from the world of business, education, sport, the public and charity sector, training, tourism, creative agencies and festivals

Areas of event experience:

Using my own The Event Expert Event Planning System my courses cover:

• Purpose – pre-event research, setting an event purpose, audience profile
• Presentation – event design and creation, themes, date setting, idea evaluation, date setting, event naming, event briefs
• Planning – project plans, project teams, budgeting, contractors, infrastructure, planning for safety, insurance, contracts
• Places – venue criteria, venue evaluation, venue contracts, site planning
• Programme – designing and delivering engaging change inducing programmes
• Promotion – event promotional plans, pricing your event, ticketing: on and off-line promotions, event copy writing, event web sites, event public relations
• Production – event operational plans, risk assessments, audience management, event management plans, event day staff  management and briefing, front-of-house operations
• People – running an event, leading your event team, return on event evaluation

©The Event Expert 2010

Memorable achievements:

• Events Director of the Hampshire’s Octoberfest, Andover, North Hampshire and South Wilts Business Expo events, Enterprise M3 Conference
• Events Director: Skillfest 07: Business and educational event
• Project Manager,15 mile Basingstoke leg of Le Tour de France 1994
• Event industry speaker: The Event Show, The Business Show, CONFEX, RSVP, Office and PA Show
• Trainer / mentor to 30 organisations running Diamond Jubilee and London 2012 events
• Event Director: Basingstoke’s Stage 2000, Millennium events programme, Skillfest 07, Basingstoke Festival (2002/3) delivered 30 events in 17 days
• Have written and delivered a number of event management courses to well-known client across the UK and more recently Europe and the Middle East and where the delegates have some form all over the world.
• Recent projects: Food and Beer festivals, Business Exhibitions, Celebration Party, Press launch, Business Conference, event toolkit for a County Councils and event web content for the Rugby Football Union
• Associate Event Lecturer on the Event Management Degree course at the University of Winchester  and Event Management Diplomas with Event Management Training Limited.
• Creator and deliverer of a range of bespoke public event training courses via associations with a range of event training providers.
• Author of ‘How to organise outstanding corporate events’ Published in July 2013
• 22 years’ practical events experience, over 500 events successfully delivered and 3500 Event Managers trained

Membership of professional organisations:

• National Outdoor Events Association:
• Fellow of the Institute of Sport and Physical Activity:
• Hampshire Chamber of Commerce and Industry:

I carry full Public, Employers and Professional liability Insurance.